Applicant is the inventor of a number of patents relating to what are commonly referred to as edge guards. As used in automotive vehicles, edge guards are commonly mounted on the trailing edges of swinging closures such as doors, trunk lids, engine compartment hoods, and fuel fill doors, but they may also be installed on edges of other non-swinging components such as drip rails, bumper edges, etc. When mounted on doors, edge guards are commonly called door edge guards.
Edge guards not only provide protection of the edges of the components on which they are mounted, but can also serve to protect individuals from contact with raw edges.
In general it is undesirable to use separate fasteners, adhesives, and the like for mounting an edge guard on an edge because of the use of additional parts and/or materials, additional process steps in manufacturing and/or mounting an edge guard, and/or poor esthetic appearance after mounting. From the standpoints of appearance, mounting, and protection, a metallic self-retaining edge guard is superior to non-metallic ones, such as those fabricated entirely from a plastic like vinyl.
A metallic self-retaining edge guard may be painted to provide a desired color different from that of the metal. Moreover, a self-retaining edge guard need not be 100% metal, either painted or unpainted. It may comprise a thin non-metallic covering, such as vinyl, on its inside and/or its outside. Such coverings may be applied by co-extrusion processes to the metal from which an edge guard is formed. A thin non-metallic covering on the inside can provide insulation of the edge guard's metal to the edge, while such a covering on the outside may be colorized to provide a desired appearance.